Pirate Athletics Traditions

The Pirate Mascot -

How does a school located in Spokane, Washington - more than 300
miles away from the Pacific Ocean - adopt the nickname of
Pirates? Whitworth was actually founded in 1890 in Sumner,
Washington which is much closer to the Puget Sound. Later the
school spent 15 years in Tacoma, within sight of the water, before
moving to Spokane in 1915.

But the nickname for the athletic teams was not officially
adopted until 1926. According to An Enduring Venture
of Mind and Heart, An Illustrated History of Whitworth
University by Dale A. Soden:

"Still lacking a formal mascot for
the college, the Whitworth student body grew tired of having its
teams referred to as the 'Presbyterians' or the 'Preachers,' and in
the spring of 1926 suggested the following names: Lynx, Spartans,
Tigers, Bantams, Bobcats, Panthers, Huns, and Trojans. A
group of athletes suggested the name Pirates, which carried the
day."